The Auburn Realist: The Washington State Review

I am going to say this: On all the things I was right in predicting...it's because I am awesome. On the other things, I am going to just say that I had never seen this team play together...so ignorance.

For real though. Let's look back at my predictions. At least the ones that are pertinent going forward.

Here were last weeks predictions: The Auburn Realist: The Washington State Preview

Let's see how I did.

Things BFZ was right on:

1) I called Therezie. And I stand by that. Kid is a Gamer with a capital G. Garret may be better in practice and all, but you can't pull a kid off the field who was the SEC Defensive Back of the Week and immediately a Thorpe Watch Lister.

2) In related talk, the secondary played almost exactly how I 'spected. I expected them to have a few penalties, and really, they SHOULD have had a TON of them. But, the officials let the kids play and I am ok with that. 3 INTs and 3 missed picks, a ton of pass break ups. While I was ready to punt on my idea of the secondary showing such promise early in the game, they made some adjustments in the 2nd quarter and they really shined despite getting the rock chunked at them nearly 60 times.

3) Adams and Lawson indeed made it on the field early. And made a splash. If I am not mistaken, the first play they were in was a TFL. No one really destroyed the WSU offensive line, but Adams let them know he was there for sure.

4) Marshall didn't throw much. I knew he wouldn't.

5) LB play. Again, Holland is just dreadful. I know a lot of people think he gets a bad rap. But, another game under his belt and he is still unable to stuff runs or get in coverage. His pursuit angles...I don't even know what to say. The other LBs show promise, but they have got to get better and discipline.



Things BFZ was wrong on:

1) The biggest whiff to me was on CAP. Despite having an almost 6 yard per carry average, he was never thrown the ball nor did he really get the touches. I can't fault myself for that. When he did get the ball, specifically out of the Wild CAP (HA!) he made the defense pay. I wasn't terribly impressed with the 3rd and short effort for the entire offense though. I still stand by my prediction. He will replace Mason as the All-Purpose Back.

2) Marshall didn't put up stellar stats in any category. Again, the lack of passing attempts didn't surprise me. Though I feel that his receivers made the difference between his 90 pass yards and 150, which is what he should have had. Dropped passes, lack of effort (at least two long routes were given up on), and misfires all cost him on numbers. His rushing yards were low, mostly because of a very potent attack by his running backs. I fully expect him to make it to 150 yards very soon. Likely next week against MSU.

3) Corey Grant. Wow. He made me pay. I'm not totally sold on him yet, but I said the same thing about McCaleb in 2009. Let's see how this week goes.

4) Bray still hasn't broken out. He will, I am confident. I mean, a receiver MUST show up among the 5 that we are using. He has shown the best hands.


So, there you have it. What do I think about it?

Well, Adams and Lawson are going to be THE guys. What's surprising is that the upper classmen don't seem to be making any push. Again. It's the same song as last year. We were getting ZERO pressure on WSU until the youngins' came in the game. And while thy play with high motors and little discipline, at least SOMETHING was getting done. Where is the other guys? The D-Line that is supposed to be ridiculous? I guess it's still stuck in last year.

As long as our secondary can continue to make adjustments, they will possibly be the highlight of the Defense.

Offensively, it just wasn't clicking. I mean, we scored. I can't complain about that. But, everything was obviously disjointed. Moreso than we have seen from first year starters in the past. I do expect it to be better this week. And speaking of, time to go write that post!

See you in a little bit!